In Turkey, the LGBTQ+ community is under more pressure than ever. During last month’s elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at this group. And Sunday’s planned Pride march has been banned. What is going on?
In several Turkish provinces, the governor canceled planned Pride activities last month. At universities in Ankara and Izmir, police entered the campus to deter students from holding their own Pride marches. According to the Turkish authorities, a picnic, tea party and an LGBTQ+ movie night were also unacceptable.
Last Sunday, downtown Istanbul got a taste of what awaits them tomorrow. During the June 18 Trans Pride march, the entire center was hermetically sealed off by hundreds of police officers. Ferries were taken out of service and two major metro stations were closed. For the tourists and their rolling suitcases there was nothing else to do but make considerable detours. The residents themselves were forced to stay at home.
“According to the Turkish constitution, you can protest without permission, but you must notify the governor, who can then change the date or location of the protest. In practice, this means that demonstrations can be canceled without good reason. “, says lawyer Ali Gül to NU.nl.
The thwarting of Pride activities follows an election campaign in which the Turkish LGBTQ+ community came under fire. Erdogan has called the community a “virus” and “perverted”. People who are part of it were also described by the president as “heretics” and as “apostates”. He continued that throughout the campaign.
In his victory speech, the LGBTIQ+ community was again targeted. His supporters were aroused to booing. As far as Erdogan and his political partners are concerned, the LGBTQ+ community poses a threat to the traditional family and thus to Turkey.
The fences to close the streets for Sunday were ready earlier this week. Photo: Nick Augusteijn / NU.nl
‘Door to violence increasingly open’
According to Emma Sinclair-Webb, director of the Turkish branch of human rights organization Human Rights Watch, the anti-LGBTQ + language has become part of Erdogan’s permanent repertoire. That is a worrying development, she says in conversation with NU.nl. “This is how hostility towards the LGBTIQ + community is created from above. And if you keep doing that, the door to violence will open wider and wider.”
Sinclair-Webb is not surprised that so many Pride activities have been canceled and that there has been a police presence in many places. “The right to demonstrate is under serious pressure for more groups. Not only for the LGBTQ+ community. Also think of women, Kurds and trade unions. And the fact that people are taken to the police station is a pure intimidation tactic. Of the 372 people who Pride were arrested, no one has been convicted by a judge. But the authorities have shown who is boss. The message to the LGBTIQ+ community is: ‘become invisible’.”
The fact that the Turkish authorities want to ban LGBTQ+ expressions as much as possible is also reflected in the concert agenda. Well-known pop artists who recently called attention to equal rights, saw their performances canceled this month. Preparations would be made through a constitutional amendment to close all LGBTQ+ associations in Turkey, claimed a party member of Erdogan last week moreover.
Reporter Nick Augusteijn
This article was written by reporter Nick Augusteijn. Nick has been working for NU.nl since 2017, including for the general news editor. He lives in Istanbul.
Anti-LGBTQ+ noise is intended to distract attention
As in previous years, Ogulcan Ydiveren of the volunteer organization SPoD is counting on a lot of resistance from the police on Sunday. He no longer looks up. SPoD provides information, legal assistance and psychosocial care for the LGBTQ+ community.
According to Ydiveren, more threats will come from a different angle this year. “Thanks to Erdogan’s words, religious-conservative groups may feel compelled to attack LGBTQ+ groups. A climate has been created in which they can behave more and more recklessly.”
Lawyer Gül also sees this. “It is being made more difficult for the LGBTIQ + community in Turkey every day. It fits in with Erdogan’s strategy to play the population off against each other as much as possible and thus divert attention from issues such as corruption and economic mismanagement.”
It doesn’t diminish the determination to take to the streets on Sunday, says Ydiveren. “During the Trans Pride march we saw many new young demonstrators. Precisely because of the increasing oppression, these young people want to make their voices heard. We draw a lot of hope from that, because in the end we only have each other in this battle.”
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2023-06-24 13:00:17
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